2019 Charleston Library Conference

The time has come... to talk of documentation. Collection policies, reviled as passé and inflexible, are public documents designed to communicate with multiple audiences. In the past they became burdensome and stagnant documents, leading many libraries to move away from posting anything publicly at all. In this presentation,the speakers will assert that with mindful design, they can be powerful means of establishing values-informed practice of library and collections.

Librarians with diverse roles and responsibilities from three institutions who have recently drafted or revised documentation will share their collections and licensing policy documents. Presenters will discuss the goals of these documents, what they signal to readers, and how they are used in their respective institutions’ workflows. They will also discuss their processes for developing these documents as the development is just as significant for demonstrating value as the text. Attendees will gain insight in the process of developing collaborative, living documents, which demonstrate the values of the attendees’ institution and librarianship.